In a world of more-better-faster, the challenges and stresses have never been greater: too much to do, not enough time. And in an economy where worker talent (know-how, energy, attention, commitment, and creativity) is at a premium, everyone is trying to maximize personal productivity.
In The Simplicity Survival Handbook, Bill Jensen offers the antidote we are seeking: a practical guide to doing less in a world of more, and making it count.
During the years when the Revolutionary War transformed thirteen former British colonies into a new nation, a horrifying epidemic of smallpox was transforming—or ending—the lives of tens of thousands of people across the American continent. This great pestilence easily surpassed the war in terms of deaths, yet because of our understandable preoccupation with the Revolution and its aftermath, it has remained virtually unknown to us.
The destructive, desolating power of smallpox made for a cascade of public-health crises and heart-breaking human drama. Fenn explores the many different ways this megatragedy was met, and analyzes the consequences. Her book is a signal contribution to the study of infectious diseases which immensely increases our understanding of the interplay between devastating pestilence and historical change. And it transforms our picture of the American Revolution.
In a book that Robert B. Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor, called “provocative and insightful…combining revealing details about specific people with thoughtful analysis of the trends that have shaped their lives,” Katherine S. Newman exposes a growing but largely invisible group of Americans: the aging urban underclass.
While an increasing portion of the U.S. population is about to retire—the number of Americans over age sixty-five is expected to double to seventy million in the next thirty years—the experience of middle and old age, as Newman shows, differs dramatically for whites and minorities, for the middle class and the poor, and for those living in the suburbs versus the city. Focusing on the lives of elderly African Americans and Latinos in pockets of New York City where wages are low, crime is often high, and the elderly have few support systems they can rely on, A Different Shade of Gray provides what Kirkus calls, “a well-documented portrait of a little-examined group.”
As the twentieth century closed, Fred Adams and Greg Laughlin captured the attention of the world by identifying the five ages of time. In The Five Ages of the Universe, they demonstrate that we can now understand the complete life story of the cosmos from beginning to end.
Adams and Laughlin have been hailed as the creators of the definitive long-term projection of the evolution of the universe. Their achievement is awesome in its scale and profound in its scientific breadth.
Children don’t grow up simply by adding inches and pounds—child development is a much richer mix of physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth. While children make progress at their own pace, parents can help (or, occasionally, hinder) them. Understanding the many ways in which your child grows is the essence of parenting, and the goal of The Yale Child Study Center Guide to Understanding Your Child.
The Yale Child Study Center is world famous for its work studying the life experiences of infants, children, and parents. The research behind this book, by psychiatrists, psychologists, pediatricians, and educators, provides a unique combination of a solid grounding in the science of child development, an understanding of a child’s point of view, and an appreciation of parents’ expectations and experiences.
Problems arise, of course, in every family’s life. Dr. Mayes and Dr. Cohen’s reassuring approach helps parents understand the nature of a problem, and when and where to go for help with concerns such as learning disabilities, bullying, sibling rivalry, mental health and depression, anger and other difficult feelings, and divorce. This classic guide is an incredible resource for every family bookshelf.